Sheeba Sen

India

Alaap People’s Foundation • India

A lawyer by education and training, Sheeba studied International Relations at the London School of Economics, followed by the Legal Practice course at the University of Oxford. She practiced at an international law firm in London for three years before returning to India in 2011, driven by a strong need to devote her life in service of the underprivileged in her country. Pulled towards the Himalayas, she visited a remote mountain village in 2012. It took just one visit to Satoli, and Sheeba knew that this was where she wanted to set-up her life, living amongst and working for rural mountain communities. For the next 3.5 years she was associated with a local rural development organization called Aarohi. Later, as the CEO of the organization, she expanded Aarohi’s funder and volunteer base and helped develop their education outreach initiatives. She left Aarohi in December 2015 with a desire to work more closely with remote communities. ‘Alaap’ was borne out of this need. Founded in March 2016, Alaap is a grassroots organization based in rural Himalayas. Its mission is to regenerate and conserve the indigenous forests of the Himalayas through community mobilization, advocacy and scientific techniques. Weaved in are initiatives that create opportunities for context-based education and sustainable livelihoods. Sheeba is the Executive Head of Alaap.